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Vegetable Tagine
Serves 4-6 Prep 20 min Cook 1 hr Total 1 hr 20 min Type Meal Origin Moroccan

Vegetable Tagine

Moroccan slow-cooked stew of root vegetables, chickpeas and dried apricots, fragrant with ras el hanout, cinnamon and preserved lemon. The tagine pot's tall conical lid traps moisture; everything inside softens into something sweet, savoury, fragrant and slightly thick. Ladled over couscous; eaten with bread.

Serves 4 Prep 20 minutes Cook 1 hour Units Rate

Overview

Onions are softened with garlic and ras el hanout. Carrots, parsnips, potato and squash join in stages, root first, fast-cooking last. Chickpeas, tomatoes, stock and apricots simmer everything together. At the end, preserved lemon, fresh coriander and toasted almonds finish; honey rounds out the spice if needed.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 onions (sliced)
  • 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 2 cm fresh ginger (grated)
  • 2 tablespoons ras el hanout
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 carrots (medium, cut into 3 cm chunks)
  • 2 parsnips (cut into 3 cm chunks)
  • 300 g butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
  • 2 potatoes (medium, peeled and cubed)
  • 400 g tin chickpeas (drained)
  • 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 100 g dried apricots (halved)
  • 600 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 preserved lemon (small, rind only, finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 50 g flaked almonds (toasted)
  • A small bunch of coriander (chopped)
  • A small bunch of mint (chopped)

Method

Stage 1 - Aromatics

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole or tagine over medium heat.
  2. Cook the onions 8-10 minutes until soft and golden.
  3. Stir in the garlic, ginger, ras el hanout, cinnamon and turmeric; cook 1 minute.

Stage 2 - Vegetables

  1. Add the carrots, parsnips, squash and potatoes; toss to coat in the spices.
  2. Cook 3-4 minutes.

Stage 3 - Simmer

  1. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, apricots and stock.
  2. Season with salt and black pepper.
  3. Bring to the boil; reduce to a steady simmer; cover.
  4. Cook 35-40 minutes until the root vegetables are tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick stew.

Stage 4 - Finish

  1. Stir in the preserved lemon and honey if using.
  2. Taste; adjust salt.
  3. Top with toasted almonds, coriander and mint.

Stage 5 - Serve

  1. Serve over couscous or with warm flatbread.

Notes

  • Ras el hanout quality: A good blend has 15-30 spices; cheap mixes are mostly cumin and turmeric. Worth seeking out from a North African grocer.
  • Preserved lemon: Use just the rind, not the flesh - it's the rind that has the floral, salty flavour. The flesh is too salty/bitter.
  • Apricots not cranberries: Apricots melt slightly into the sauce and balance the spice. Cranberries are a sharper, less authentic substitute.

Storage

  • Keeps 5 days refrigerated; tastes even better the next day.
  • Freezes 3 months.

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